ZIPHO SIKHAKHANE: MPs should have pioneered electronic voting
Our own parliament does not have an electronic system that can record anonymous votes
South Africa was swept by waves of shock and anticipation this week. First up was the question of whether National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete would allow a secret vote for the motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma. After her unexpected announcement on Monday that the ballot would be a secret one, the country waited with bated breath to see how ANC MPs would vote on Tuesday. While this was unfolding, I was in shock for other reasons - the main one being that our own parliament does not have an electronic system that can record anonymous votes. Instead of waiting for hours as each MP casts their vote, the whole process could have been completed in minutes - freeing up time that our leaders need to be using to address key issues in the country. I see little reason for not using electronic voting systems, especially in a small setting such as parliament, where fewer than 400 people were involved. Although there is already an electronic system in the National Assembly, it do...
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